


Run Away With Me (Chrobin Celebration Day 6)

by Voidpurrmina



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Road Trips, lissa is kind of rabid ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidpurrmina/pseuds/Voidpurrmina
Summary: Robin joins Chrom and his sisters on a road trip to Plegia.
Relationships: Chrom & My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Run Away With Me (Chrobin Celebration Day 6)

**Author's Note:**

> you are allowed one (1) more fic that doesn't have anything to do with grima
> 
> title comes from owl city's New York City

"You work too much-" Chrom says from across the dorm as he idly spins around in his super comfy gamer chair. Robin rolls his eyes and continues typing away on his laptop.

"I have to finish this homework before the break is over."

"Robin, break just started yesterday-"

"Precisely. I'm getting it done now."

Chrom frowns and stops spinning. "Have you even slept in the past 24 hours?" Robin stays eerily silent. Chrom frowns even more before he gets up from his chair.

There’s a lot of shuffling and grunting and the sound of a zipper before Robin turns around to look at his roommate and holy shit Chrom did not just pack his bags for him. 

"What is the meaning of this?"

"You're coming with me and my sisters on a road trip. We’re going to Plegia for three days."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Chrom Etere Lowell, I despise and abhor you."

Chrom plucks the laptop from Robin's desk, stuffs it into one of the suitcases, and kisses Robin’s forehead. "Love you too."

\- - -

“Where are we even going? Why are you bringing me along? What’s in it for me? Do you have enough money to stay somewhere?” Robin’s inquiries are merciless and innumerable. Chrom sighs and closes the trunk of the car. 

“Just wait and see, okay? I promise that our family has the best road trips.”

“I’ve never been too partial to them-”

“But Robin, you need the destressing. It’ll be good to travel. Now, do you have any place you want to see in particular? If not, I’m picking.”

Robin frowns. He knows this is a bad idea. He just knows it is, but Chrom won’t listen so he keeps his mouth shut. “... No, you can choose.”

\- - -

They’ve been in the car for about two hours. Lissa has already fallen asleep in the back of the car and Emmeryn is keeping her company, reading a book right next to her. Robin is in the passenger seat, nervously drumming his fingers against the door handle while Chrom drives with a comfortable smile.

“Plegia, huh?” Chrom glances at Robin for a second, surprised by the comment that broke the silence. 

“Yeah, why not? Wouldn’t it be nice to see your homeland?”

“I suppose so-” Robin never really cared much for Plegia as a whole. Sure, he loved his heritage, but all the best parts of his life have been in Ylisse. All that’s left in Plegia for him are bad memories and good food. 

Chrom slides a hand on top of Robin’s and squeezes gently when he stops at a red light. He’s excited. Robin can see it in his eyes, coursing through his veins. He's bright like the sun and Robin always loves this side of him.

He can set aside his anxieties for this, right? 

Robin smiles softly but doesn't stop tapping on the door handle. "I haven't seen a lot of Plegia. Maybe it'll be nice."

\- - -

It’s been eight hours. Lissa is still asleep and it looks like Emmeryn has joined her. Robin and Chrom have taken to doing karaoke except really quietly because Lissa is a rabid badger when she wakes up too early and while Robin hasn’t experienced that side of her, the look in Chrom’s eyes tell him that he doesn’t want to take his chances either way. By the time Chrom finishes butchering the words to a song that he (thought he) knew in Plegian, they were at a rest stop. Robin gets out of the car and stretches his legs, making a face at the audible pops in his joints. It’s hot outside compared to the temperate weather of eastern Ylisse. The silverette knows that they must be closer to Plegia by now.

“Never sing again-” Robin groans. Chrom sheepishly bites his lip and looks away. It’s cute, Robin says to himself, but it doesn’t excuse how terrible his pronunciation was. He’d have to teach him how to speak Plegian sometime so that he doesn’t become a disappointment.

Emmeryn and Lissa emerge from the car seconds later. Both of them look tired but the difference between the two is that within the next five minutes, Emmeryn will still be tired while Lissa will look like she’s had six shots of espresso. All four of them walk into the rest station and agree to meet up outside in a few minutes. 

Robin clings to Chrom in the unfamiliar place but doesn’t stay by his side for long. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach dissipates after a while and he just takes a moment to walk around, use his legs. The road trip hasn’t been that bad so far. The car has been moderately quiet and they haven’t crashed (yet). It's been tame, but tame is good. Tame means not alerting his stupid brain that something is going wrong since he overthinks everything. Tame means boring and milquetoast but it was better than something that was out of control. If it stays this way (even though a part of him wants it to get a little more exciting (he pushes that part of him down and resolves to never deal with or mention it even though he knows that means he'll probably do something stupid in the future)), maybe it really won’t be that bad.

He buys a chocolate bar (out of obligation because otherwise, he would’ve felt bad for just wandering around without getting something) and exits the building. Gods, he forgot how warm it gets when nearing Plegia. The sun’s suffocating rays beat down on him as he waits for everyone else to come outside. 

Chrom emerges first with four bottles of water and some fast food. Robin knows he bought enough food for both of them and even though he’s not hungry, he might as well eat more than a chocolate bar. That, and it saves time if he just doesn’t argue with him. Lissa comes out next with six different ice cream bars and a pack of skittles. Dear gods, who let her have money? Emmeryn emerges last with nothing but a humble energy drink and with that, they're ready for the road. 

They pile into the car, one by one (with Lissa taking extra care to set her half a dozen ice cream bars in the cooler that resides in the trunk first), and set off again. Robin feels a little bit better about the traveling and he only taps things nervously for 10 minutes straight. It's a miracle. 

"So…" Chrom begins before reaching blindly into the bag of fast food to pull out a stray fry. Robin wants to scold him for his bad driving habits and promptly does so by pinching Chrom's arm. 

Chrom sucks his teeth and yanks his hand out of the bag, holding onto one shoestring fry and pops it into his mouth before Robin can snag it. "You shouldn't eat while driving." The Plegian tuts. Chrom brushes him off with a dramatic roll of his eyes. 

"As I was saying before I was so rudely attacked-" he articulates by pinching Robin's shoulder. He'd be offended if the pain wasn't mostly dulled by the thick fabric of his hoodie (which he should probably take off. It's getting hotter and hotter and Plegia should be only a few more hours away). "What is there to see in Plegia? Any cool places you know?"

Robin hums. What little he's seen of that place has been haunted by bad memories. The part where he grew up was slick with crime and it was a miracle he hadn't grown up to become a drug lord or something of the like. There were, however, a few nice luxuries he could enjoy. 

"The museum," he says first, "I always found the artifacts there cool." He then realized that Chrom probably wouldn't find that interesting and quickly followed up with something else. "But I know a nice building to sit on top of! It was a really pretty view of the city at night. The stars are nice up there."

"You stargaze?"

"Occasionally."

Chrom smiles that cute little half-smile. "Maybe we can do that together if you want!" Robin smiles too and leans his head against the window, letting the rhythmic rumble and purr of the car relax him.

"I'd like that."

\- - -

Robin falls asleep at some point and when he wakes, Emmeryn has taken Chrom’s spot as the driver and it is thoroughly dark outside. He looks to the backseat of the car to see Chrom, peacefully asleep, and his sister (who is still wildly immature for being a high school senior) doodling a mustache on his face in marker. Lissa turns to Robin with a mischievous grin and the two exchange a silent agreement to not say anything about it when Chrom wakes up. 

“We’ve made it into Plegia. Are you enjoying yourself, Robin?” Emmeryn’s smooth, soft voice surprised him. He turned to see Emm, in all her humble beauty. She looks tired and Robin feels bad for not having driven in her stead. 

“As much as I can be,” Robin responds. He fishes in the bag of fast food that Chrom bought. There is the notable absence of a burger, but he left a good amount of fries. They’re ice-cold anyway so Robin sighs and resigns to his mostly-melted chocolate bar. Emmeryn takes a swig of her now-opened energy drink. It’s probably lukewarm, pacific cooler flavored cider at this point. Robin feels another pang of sympathy. 

It’s not like she can hear his thoughts or whatever but she glances over and interprets the look in his eyes all the same. “Don’t feel bad,” she says with a chuckle, “I’ve driven further, at later times.” Robin glances away. Even though he spends so much time with them that they might as well be his family at this point, he forgets that both of Chrom’s sisters can read him like an open book (though apparently, that gene skipped Chrom. He’s a little oblivious to social and romantic queues, given the fact that it took all of freshman year and half of sophomore year for him to realize that Robin was interested in him and had been trying to articulate that for the past year and a half).

“Chrom dragged you out here?” She says it like a question, but it’s more of a statement and they both know this. Robin nods and even though Emm has her eyes on the road, she knew there was only ever one answer anyway. She chuckled. “I hope you know he’s really worried about you. He’s afraid you might work yourself into an early grave.” Robin doesn’t know how to respond so he doesn’t.

It’s not like he wants to worry Chrom. Well, maybe the all-nighters and slight coffee addiction (which really doesn’t help his anxiety if he doesn’t have any work to occupy himself with) aren’t much help to that statement. He has some pretty terrible habits, he’ll admit it, but it’s all in the name of keeping his scholarship intact. Prejudice against Plegians in Ylisse is strong and he has to work twice as hard to be half as good. Chrom thinks he’s doing more than enough but Robin is constantly worrying, constantly thinking about the next five steps. He has to. Just to be equal, just to stand on the same ground, and if that means neglecting himself then so be it.

Emmeryn continues, mild and comforting as always. “You really should relax. You’ll be fine if you rest for just a bit. Take this time to relax, Robin. Chrom’s been worried sick.” It's amazing how much she feels like a big sister to Robin, always looking out for him and offering him wisdom. It makes him feel warm inside like he just drank some nice, warm apple cider that also gave him life advice. Emm always has a way with words and confiding in her always takes a load off of his chest. 

The car pulls into the dingy motel they’ll be staying at as he voices his thanks.

\- - -

“Uuuugh, what time is it??” Lissa mumbles as she rubs the sleep from her eyes. They had arrived at the motel at the ripe hour of 6:15 AM and Robin could see the damn sun already. Chrom's drawn-on mustache, courtesy of Lissa, has been wildly smudged but it still gets a chuckle out of Robin. He feels a little ashamed when he realizes that this feeling of loopy deliriousness isn’t all that foreign because of how many all-nighters he pulls. In fact, it almost gives him a rush. Maybe this is what doing hard drugs feel like. 

“If the birds don’t stop chirping I’m going to commit a murder-” Lissa growls. Ah, this must be that side of Lissa that Chrom had warned him about and if any of the anecdotes were true, there was a 50/50 percent chance she would. That both terrifies and amazes Robin and he’s not sure why his amazement outweighs his terror. Should he be worried about that? He’ll assume that it shouldn’t and that everyone would be interested in Lissa possibly bludgeoning a civilian with her shoe. 

Emmeryn takes care of the expenses and social interaction with the hotel clerk because she’s the only responsible adult here and Robin is halfway sure that her energy drink from earlier has her wired. They trudge up the stairs to their rooms and while Chrom almost trips and falls down the stairs, they all make it to the two rooms they rented in one piece and split off from there. Emm and Lissa take one room while Chrom and Robin stumble into the other. 

Robin notes that it doesn’t smell like piss which is honestly a blessing. Everything is sort of a blur between trying to find his nightclothes, helping to wash the smudged marker off of Chrom’s face, staring at Chrom since he sleeps shirtless and Robin is very attracted to that, and trying to get comfortable in the shared bed because it feels like rocks. Chrom is out like a light within three minutes. It takes a little effort, but Robin reaches that comfortable unconsciousness soon enough too.

\- - -

Everyone pretty much slept through the first day. 

Robin and Lissa don't wake up until 2 PM. Chrom and Emmeryn wake up even later. It's already practically sunset when everyone is up and coordinated so they all just settle for lunch at 5 PM in a nearby diner. The food is greasy and the place is honestly a little shady, but they didn't get mugged so who's the real winner here? Still not them, probably. That experience was so subpar and subtly uncomfortable it'll go down in the history of mediocrity. 

Everyone spends the rest of the evening in the motel. Robin tries to do homework and Chrom confiscates his laptop. Robin curses him out in Plegian. 

Minutes later, Chrom catches Robin doing homework on his phone so he confiscates that too. Robin expresses his contempt by pinching his boyfriend continuously in hopes that he'll get his stuff back. It doesn't work but it was fun being mildly annoying and they wind up huddling for warmth together anyway. 

Robin snatches his phone back in the middle of the night like the gremlin he is. 

\- - -

Everyone has their shit together on the second day. They're all ready and up slightly before noon and ready to be mildly impressed by the tourist traps.

Well, they would be if Ylisseans weren't such wimps.

"It's so hot!!" Chrom complains. Robin feels smug. 

Even in the winter, Plegia is burning, and then it has the nerve to get to freezing temperatures at night. While Robin is used to that, Chrom and his family aren't and it makes for a spectacular show.

"It's not hot at all, but you're welcome to pay 10 bucks for a mini fan that'll break within the hour guaranteed," Robin says with a wink. Lissa downs her third water bottle of the day. Emmeryn only hints at being uncomfortably sweaty though her sun hat seems to do wonders for her. The fools. Robin was born in this rotting hellfire. He's a demon in its natural habitat and he’d be lying if he were to say that watching them look so terribly out of place wasn’t funny at all. 

The immediate area has nothing to do. There's a market and a few other miscellaneous shops around, but nothing to get lost in. The solution? Pile into the car again and drive. 

Robin drives this time. While Chrom and Emm both have more experience, Robin knows the streets. He pulls out of the motel parking lot and onto the road. The car grumbles pleasantly under his hands and for once, he feels very in control. Robin sacrifices his comfort in the heat to turn on the AC because he can only take so much of Chrom’s pleading puppy dog eyes (that and Emm told him not to make him suffer too much). 

The first thing they see is the world’s largest yarn ball. Riveting indeed, and 15 bucks a person to see it. Robin thinks it’s a waste of money. I mean, think of how much coffee he could buy with that kind of money! But no, he’s stuck taking selfies with Lissa and Chrom in front of a large mound of colored sheep clothing. They wind up spending more time there than necessary because dammit, Robin is getting his money’s worth out of this so now he has several useless facts about the world’s largest ball of yarn committed to memory.

Gods, he could be doing work right now.

The next place they stop is an old castle from several hundred years ago. Emm gushes with Robin about the historical value of the castle and the Plegian is surprised by her ability to keep up. “History is important,” she says, “And I take great care to learn about other cultures and events outside of Ylisse’s own.” That makes him smile a fair amount. 

While they aren’t looking Lissa tries to pick up an axe that Chrom hopes isn’t real. He watches in horror as she swings it with alarming accuracy. Dear gods, what is his terrifying little sister not capable of? He watches for a few more seconds before he pulls the weapon away from her (it’s a prop. He almost sighs in relief because he’s not sure if he can handle his little sister getting convicted of manslaughter). Lissa pouts and sticks her tongue out but resigns to looking at the other weapons (thankfully bolted to the walls) wistfully.

They stop for a relatively late lunch not long after for some authentic Plegian cuisine. It’s good. Really good. Robin savors the earthy and bright flavors in his chickpea curry. It reminds him of how much he misses cooking, what with the limited food budget the college student has. Lissa has a heyday with the butter chicken. Emmeryn is greatly impressed with the chicken tikka masala. The goat curry literally brings Chrom to tears. Needless to say, everyone is satisfied when they finish eating. 

The four of them walk around for as long as the sun stays up. Chrom ends up buying a mini fan that does indeed break within the hour and Robin tries his hardest not to laugh right then and there. His hardest clearly isn’t a lot because he laughs anyway. Lissa joins him while Emmeryn pats her brother’s shoulder comfortingly (even though she was holding back laughter too).

\- - -

They get back into the car as the sun starts to set. There is mindless chatter in the car, but Robin can’t pay attention to it. The anxious part of his mind comes to the forefront for a few seconds and he’s absorbed in his thoughts. He squashes it down before it gets too bad (even though he knows that’s a big lie. He had coffee today even though he shouldn’t have. The anxiety will just come back stronger if he doesn’t get his hands on some work as a distraction and Chrom won’t let him so he’ll just have to grin and bear it.) and focuses on the road. Focuses so hard Lissa’s warbling laugh and Chrom’s indignant noises get tuned out. All that’s in the world is him and this road. In fact, he focuses so hard that he drives right past the motel! 

Robin comes to his senses when Lissa yells in his ear and profusely apologizes for the slipup as he pulls into the parking lot. Emmeryn and her brother exchange a look and Chrom seems a little worried but doesn’t voice anything until they get back in their rooms.

“You’re nervous.” It’s not a question. Robin idly plays with the scratchy blanket on the bed. He doesn’t want to admit anything to Chrom. He’s already worried him enough. Chrom isn’t taking silence for an answer though. He sits on the bed next to the Plegian and stares at him.

“Robin, look at me.” The man in question hesitantly raises his eyes to meet Chrom’s. There’s no anger and disappointment (which is honestly what he was expecting), only genuine concern. It makes him feel bad. 

He opens his mouth to apologize but Chrom speaks first. “Don’t apologize. I just want to know what I can do to help.” His eyes shine sincere and Robin can’t help but stare for a little longer than strictly necessary.

He opens his mouth, and he spills.

The worries start flowing slowly at first but they snowball quickly. They’re fleeting problems, ones that don’t matter at all but to Robin they do. Like if the car breaks down or if they get robbed or, gods forbid, if they encounter Validar on the streets. Chrom keeps his arms wrapped around Robin the whole time and the latter clings back tightly. He knows Chrom can’t necessarily resolve the worries he has, but it feels good to get them out. Chrom’s steady presence is grounding and comforting even though he stinks of sweat and the hand that rubs his back calms him down, massages every worry out through his string of disgusting and anxious word vomit. 

Robin lets go of Chrom after a few minutes of just silent comforting and pretends like he totally wasn’t shaking. He takes a shower and barely registers the water on his skin. He knows this is probably the coffee’s fault and he should be feeling better but right now he’s just tired. He finishes up and stumbles onto the bed and falls asleep almost immediately. 

Somewhere along the line he wakes up in the middle of the night and feels Chrom’s strong arms wrapped around him and he tries to hold on to them but his sleep-riddled mind doesn’t remember if he did or not by morning.

\- - -

Robin swears off coffee for the day and resigns himself to tea this time. No more coffee until he’s allowed to work again to avoid little incidents like last night. He sits in the backseat of the car and plays punch buggy with Lissa. He gets punched a lot and he swears she’s cheating, but the pain helps him stay grounded. They’re going to the beach today. It’s going to be fun.

The whole car smells of sunscreen. Chrom and his sisters have put on liberal amounts of the stuff and he all but forced Robin to put some on too so now everyone is sticky and mildly uncomfortable. He cannot wait to sit in the sun and shrivel up like a raisin. Well... maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe he’s just salty because when they leave he’ll probably have to wash the sand out of places he’d rather not mention. The option to work tempts him but he tries to relax, for Chrom’s sake. 

Everyone grabs a little something from the trunk when they make their way to the shore. Emmeryn grabs the beach parasol, Chrom and Robin both carry the towels, and Lissa takes the cooler. Setting up only takes a few minutes and with that, the beach day truly begins.

Chrom and Lissa immediately take off towards the water. Both of them regret it when the sand burns their toes but clearly, self-preservation isn’t very high up on their priorities since they pause in the sand for a second, exchange a look, and then keep running. Emmeryn laughs, airy and light, at her siblings and looks at them with a deep fondness, and Robin is reminded just how deep the family bonds between the three of them are. And it suddenly hits him that he’s included in that bond too. It baffles him that Emm can look at him with that same fondness and Lissa can tease him with the same cheekiness and Chrom-

Well, Chrom loves him in a completely different way. 

But that confuses Robin too! It confounds him to no end that someone would take a look at him and call him attractive, much less family. It confuses him so much, and yet… he enjoys it. He’s skinny and short and nerdy and worries too much but Chrom makes him feel like none of that matters and for a short time, he feels like all of his worries leave. Just for a brief moment his thoughts slow to a comfortable null, his overflowing mind calms until it’s empty, and everything is replaced with his dearest Chrom. 

Robin watches from the comfortable shade of the beach parasol with Emmeryn as his beloved Chrom plays in the water with Lissa and for the first time in the past three days, he feels at ease.

\- - -

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Chrom’s warm breath spreads against Robin’s neck from their proximity. Maybe the alleyway wasn’t the smartest route to take in the middle of the night, but it was practically the only route Robin knew to the place he was taking Chrom. 

“Yes, I’m sure. Now be careful. This alley is slim and dark so if you trip on something and fall, I will laugh.” Chrom pouts but remains alert anyway. 

They find their way to an abandoned mall and Robin slips inside, motioning for Chrom to follow. The Ylissean looks skeptical but follows anyway. It’s dusty and cold inside and he sees the vague outline of Robin heading towards some stairs. Naturally, he follows, but Chrom can’t quite help but feel uneasy. 

They make their way to the highest floor and at some point, Robin grabs Chrom’s arm and practically drags him around. It’s amazing how well Robin knows where they’re going, given that it’s nearly pitch dark. Chrom hears the raspy squeal of an old iron door and they’re in yet another staircase, climbing up the winding stairs inside until they open another rusty door, this one leading to the outside. 

Robin, still leading Chrom by the hand, steps outside and walks to the edge of the building. He sits down and beckons for Chrom to do the same. The Ylissean opens his mouth to ask a question but suddenly Robin points to the sky.

Chrom looks up and he sees stars.

Literally. He sees stars! So, so many of them. Twinkling, bright, and working in perfect harmony with the moon, a perfect crescent in the sky. It’s dazzling. It’s mesmerizing. It’s-

“Wow,” Chrom breathes because that’s all his mind can allow him to say. Robin turns to face Chrom with a knowing smile.

“I told you the stars were beautiful here. Aren’t they just wonderful?” 

He swears that Robin’s eyes reflect the multitude of stars up there. He sees them dance in his eyes and swirl around like they’ve been shaken in a jar. Gods, the Plegian sky was beautiful but Robin’s eyes are a wonder all on their own. Big and golden and shining with adoration that Chrom hopes is for him. He inches just a little closer and closes the gap between their lips in one fluid motion. 

A swift kiss was all it was, but one kiss leads to another. And another. And more and more until his darling boyfriend is reduced to a flustered mess. Chrom smooches Robin’s forehead before he turns his head towards the sky once more with an arm firmly wrapped around the other’s waist. He feels the Plegian’s head rest against his shoulder delicately. It’s the little moments like these, Chrom thinks. These little moments that make him fall in love all over again. 

“Thank you, Robin. I love you so much”

He can feel the other man nuzzle into him and his heart drips with fondness.

“Likewise, Chrom.”

**Author's Note:**

> i just might have written a little too much


End file.
